Victoria Beckham

BIOGRAPHY

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"If you haven't got it. Fake it! Too short? Wear high heels!" says Victoria Beckham. Having risen from obscurity as one of The Spice Girls and gone on to become a fashion powerhouse, with millions in the bank, the A-lister knows what she's talking about – but she's certainly no fake.

Born Victoria Caroline Adams on April 17, 1974 to parents Tony and Jackie, she admits to wanting to be a star from the age of eight, after seeing the film Fame. The Adams sent eight-year-old Victoria to the Jason Theatre School in Enfield, London where she studied until she was 17.

A year later the budding performer moved on to Laine Arts Theatre College in Surrey, taking dancing lessons on the side. Three years later she answered an ad in the magazine The Stage looking for five girls who could sing and dance. It was her ticket to fame.

The female quintet Geri Halliwell, Mel B, Mel C, Emma Bunton and Victoria went on to become The Spice Girls. The girls were all given nicknames; Victoria was known as the 'Posh one' because of her parents' relative wealth.

The band's first single, Wannabe, went straight to number one and, for a few years, the fab five couldn't put a foot wrong. Capturing the imagination of youngsters around the globe, they notched up hit after hit, breaking records in the process.

In 1997, when the Spice Girls were at the peak of their popularity and starring in their own movie Spiceworld, Victoria met football star David Beckham. The couple married two years later and have three sons – Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. Their little girl Harper was born in the summer of 2011.

Everything changed in 1998, however, when the de facto leader of the group, Geri Halliwell, quit. The remaining Spices continued without her for a while, but marriage, motherhood and solo careers began to take precedence.

Although Victoria released a solo single Not Such An Innocent Girl and self-titled debut album in 2001, her family was increasingly central to her life.

In May 2003, she teamed up with US hip hop artist Damian Dash, but the project fizzled out. The former singer then begun to focus her attention on fashion.

In 2006 she published the style guide That Extra Half Inch, and created jeans, handbags and a popular range of sunglasses under her DVB brand. "I dreamed of doing my own clothing line even before I was a Spice Girl," she says.

The following year David signed to American soccer team LA Galaxy, and his family July relocated to California, where they made friends with Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Eva Longoria and Kate Beckinsale.

In June 2007 Victoria dipped a toe back into the music scene when she reunited with her fellow Spice Girls to release a greatest hits album, which was followed by a world tour. The girls also joined forces again for the closing ceremony of the London Olympics.

Posh's real interest remained her design ventures, however. "It's been so much fun being a Spice Girl and I've loved every minute of it," she announced. "It's been great for my children to see mummy being a pop star. But it's been tough as well because fashion is my passion, not music."

In 2009 Victoria released a Spring Summer line of dresses for her eponymous fashion label, which has twice been named brand of the year at the British Fashion Awards. The collection has grown with major celebrities choosing to wear her designs on the red carpet.

The Beckhams combined wealth is estimated at £190 million. Victoria's business alone sells around £83,000 worth of stock a day. And Brand Beckham is set to continue with Brooklyn playing for Arsenal's Under-16 squad and Romeo starring in Burberrry campaigns.